He wants to distract from his war: Zohran Mamdani hits back at Trump as verbal clash escalates
New York: The political showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani intensified on Wednesday, with Mamdani hitting back hard in a video that's now going viral across social media platforms.
The 33-year-old Democratic nominee accused President Trump of targeting him in order to divert public attention from his ongoing military conflict. "Yesterday, Donald Trump said that I should be arrested, that I should be deported, that I should be de-naturalised," Mamdani said in the video. “He said those things about me — someone who stands to be the first immigrant mayor of this city in generations, the first Muslim and the first South Asian mayor in New York’s history.”
“It’s less about who I am and more about what I fight for,” he continued. “He wants to distract the nation from the issues I represent — the struggles of working-class people who’ve been priced out of this city.”
Mamdani, a New York State Assembly member and democratic socialist, shot to national prominence after defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. He has become a key target for Republicans, especially after vowing to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in New York.
President Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, called Mamdani a “Communist Lunatic” and claimed he would prevent him from “destroying” the city. “I hold all the levers and have all the cards,” Trump wrote. “I’ll save New York City and make it 'Hot' and 'Great' again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”
In his rebuttal, Mamdani criticized Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” describing it as legislation that “will steal food from the hungry” and deepen economic inequality. “This bill is yet another massive wealth transfer, just like we saw during his first term,” he said.
The verbal duel comes amid rising tensions in the national political landscape, with Mamdani positioning himself as a progressive voice for marginalized communities. “I fight for working people,” he said. “I fight for the same people Trump once claimed he would help — but instead, he has betrayed them.”
Born in Uganda to renowned Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair and Indo-Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran Mamdani made history as the first South Asian and Ugandan-born person to serve in the New York State Assembly. He is only the third Muslim ever elected to the body.
As the 2025 New York mayoral race heats up, the confrontation between Mamdani and Trump is fast becoming a defining flashpoint in the national debate over immigration, economic justice, and the future of American cities.
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Voting begins for Assam's 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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